From Leh to Manali on foot in record time 21 hours and 18 minutes

Mandi, July 13

Mahendra Mahajan, a 46-year-old dentist and adventure sports lover of Nashik in Maharashtra, has created a new world record by completing Leh to Manali journey on foot in four days, 21 hours and 18 minutes. He has created a Guinness record by completing the fastest journey on foot.

Mahajan said, “The journey was flagged off from Leh at 6.12 am on July 7 by SS Khandare, Additional DGP, Ladakh, and Sonam Wangchuk, famous engineer and scientist. I reached Manali on July 12 at 3:30 am.”

The Leh-Manali highway is almost 428-km long, which is famous for high mountain passes.

Mahajan said, “On the first day, I walked 91 km and reached close to Tanglang La (17,600 feet from the sea level). After a break of 4 hours, I started my journey on the second day that ended at Pang. I covered 84 km.”

“On Day 3, I started from Pang and continued walking for 3 hours without food and water. After climbing twin passes of Lachung La (16,597 ft) and Nakeela (15,547 ft), I reached the Sarchu plains,” he added.

“Day 4 began from Sarchu and I climbed Baralacha La (15,912 feet ) and arrived at Zingzingbar and later Darcha village. Manali was 95 km away, which seemed to be an impossible task for me to complete in just one day, which I had set for myself, although the Guinness authorities had allotted me eight days,” he added.

“On Day 5, I began my journey from Darcha at 5 am and reached Manali at 3.30 am on July 12,” he said.

Mahajan is an Everest summiteer (2019), ultra cyclist and first Indian to win the Race Across America and felicitated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Earlier, a woman, Sufia Khan, had created a Guinness record by completing the Manali-Leh journey on foot in 6 days, 12 hours and 6 minutes in 2021.

Earlier Guinness record

Earlier, a woman, Sufia Khan, had created a Guinness record by completing the Manali to Leh journey on foot in 6 days, 12 hours and 6 minutes in 2021.